I DID not dwell enough on Udaipur`s resistance to Mughal hegemony in my last piece for I had just then started reading Prof John F. Richards`s The Mughal Empire (Cambridge University Press).

There can be no gainsaying the fact that the maharana of Mewar, Udai Singh, after whom Udaipur was named and who “was descended from the Sisodia ruler Rana Sanga who had died fighting Babar at the battle of Kanua in 1527”, gave the stiffest resistance to Akbar.

In the words of Prof Richards “Rajput willingness to accept Mughal hegemony was not won without force”. Indeed, it took Akbar fully two months to breach the walls of the fortified city of Chitor, defended by just 5,000 Rajput warriors left behind by Udai Singh when he took himself off to a “subordinate fortress”.

It is to be noted that when Akbar himself “killed Jaimal, the Rajput commander of Chitor, with a well-aimed musket shot, whose death broke the morale of the defenders” the rite of jauhar was performed by setting fires as the “Rajputs killed their families and prepared to die in a supreme sacrifice ... in a day filled with hand to hand struggles until virtually all the defenders died.

“The Mughal troops slaughtered another 20-25,000 ordinary persons, inhabitants of the town and peasants from the surrounding area on the grounds that they had actively helped in the resistance. Only an audacious body of one thousand musketeers, men of Kalpi who had done much damage to the Mughals in the siege, managed to escape Akbar`s wrath ... Udai Singh, however, remained at large, uncaptured by the Mughals until his death four years later.”

The above is not meant to say that Akbar was (merely) a cruel and merciless man. Such, and
worse, were the ways of the conquerors in those times. Akbar proved to be a great monarch and in his later years began to abhor bigotry, religious chauvinism and intolerance. But that`s another story.

Some few details about the wedding we attended in Jaipur, well, in the vicinity of Jaipur, for Samode Palace and Samode Gardens are 45 km away from the city in the most fascinating countryside, mostly arid but lush green in parts.

We were put up at the Samode Gardens where all day long one could hear tens of partridge calling. Shooting is strictly forbidden we were told, though the `thakurloag` (aka The Beautiful People of Rajasthan) did poach now and again, but were almost always apprehended and prosecuted and heavily fined, after spending a few nights in the clink.

We had the great pleasure of meeting Mr S.K. Singh, the Governor of Rajasthan, who had come to lunch to bless the couple. Mr Singh was High Commissioner to Pakistan from 1985 to 1989 and met us most graciously, asking after people he knew. His humility was striking to one such as I, who sees our pompous leaders become more pompous by the day, with ever less reason.
I was struck too by the fact that he was accompanied by just one ADC, a smart young major of The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria`s Own Cavalry). Asked if the governor also had a military secretary, the young man said that he was the only military aide and the only other staff officer was the secretary to the governor.

It was a memorable trip, and when I look back I miss being there. Rajasthan has a magical quality to it as evidenced by the sheer numbers of tourists that flock to it and I can only hope that India and Pakistan ease off on the cumbersome visa procedures so that I among others could go to India whenever it took our fancy. And our Indian friends could come to Pakistan whenever it took theirs. Hopefully, one day.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch much has been going on. One had to catch up on so many news, chief among them the Governor of Punjab`s letter to the chief minister and the upshot of all of that.
These were most important news to me for, as I have noted in these columns before, I was a close (and sad) witness to the very terrible events of the late eighties and early nineties when the PML-N and the PPP were at each other`s throats. Indeed, they are of the utmost importance for every Pakistani who wishes to see the rule of law and constitution in her/his country.
Let me say straightaway that notwithstanding the argument of whether Governor Salman Taseer`s letter to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was well worded or not, or whether he should have written it at all, it was completely out of court for Rana Sanaullah, the sitting law minister of Punjab, to distribute photographs of a private party.Whilst it is true that public figures must hold themselves to higher standards than lay people in following the laws of the land, the private lives of anyone must never be exposed by anyone else. Especially by someone like Sanaullah who fought against the dictatorship despite being physically and bodily and psychologically assaulted by the goons of Musharraf`s establishment. It is good that party leader Nawaz Sharif has shown his displeasure at such tactics and that Sanaullah has apologised.

The matter should not rest here. There are many ways in which ministers who deserve cabinet rank can be disciplined, such as a temporary demotion within the cabinet. That way the message that the political leadership will not stand for such personal attacks on an opponent, especially attacks that include his family too, will be firmly communicated.

I end with a heavy heart, though, for I can see the darkening clouds on the horizon. I know Taseer for the brash almost-adolescent he is, and if the banners in the crossroads outside Governor`s House (let me christen it Barrakk Chowk), chief among them “Asif Zardari kaddam barrhao, hum tumharey saath hain”, are any indicator we are in for some rough times. Which, I hasten to add, will be to the entire detriment of the People`s Party.

PS While the GOP waits for the UN investigators to arrive, could President Zardari please order an inquiry to find the person(s) who ordered the hosing down of the scenes of the Karsaz bombing and of Benazir`s cruel murder?
kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk